It's the centennial anniversary of the first Indy 500, and therein lies a tale or two.

It bills itself as the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing" and to anyone who understands the history of the Indianapolis 500, it's no mere understatement. This May, the Brickyard will be celebrating the

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100th anniversary of the first 500. It's so significant that we are devoting a major feature each month leading up to the 95th running of the race as a way to mark this important anniversary, tell some great stories about its history and preview the future of open-wheel racing in America.

The genesis of this series began with one man's obsession. Or more to the point, hero worship. Dario Franchitti is a well-known admirer of fellow Scotsman Jimmy Clark. So when the opportunity to put him together with Clark's 1965 Indy-winning at the Brickyard presented itself, Editor-at-Large John Lamm jumped at the opportunity, with the generous assistance of The Henry Ford museum, which has the car as part of its automotive collection, and Lotus USA. You can read all about it on page 72 and see video at roadandtrack.com.

This opportunity opened the door to further discussions with Steve Shunck, V.P. of communications, and Amy Konrath of IndyCar, which sparked the idea of having other drivers sample cars from the Speedway's museum as a way of getting a taste of the rich history of the 500. To capture the flavor of the early days, we chose the 1912 Indy 500-winning National of Joe Dawson—a riding-mechanic rig that spoke to the early tradition of requiring a passenger in the wake of Ray Harroun's solo run in the first 500 a year earlier. Dawson's Indy-built National prevailed over Ralph DePalma's and Teddy Tetzlaff's , which also speaks to Indy's international appeal. Who better, then, to pilot the National than 1986 Indy winner Bobby Rahal? His riding mechanic during our day at Indy was Peter Egan, whose story will be featured in the February issue.

We also called on the talents of Sam Posey to drive one of the last great roadsters to win before the mid-engine invasion, Rodger Ward's 1962 Leader Card Special. Sam grew up watching the mighty roadsters rule at the Brickyard before gridding in his first 500 in 1972. Sam's story will be featured in our March issue.

But anniversaries are as much about the future as the past. So in April, we will be devoting space to the 2012 IndyCar rules package, a major change that promises not only a new engine formula, but also a new chassis and new aerodynamics. Indy has long been at the forefront of new technologies, including front-wheel drive, turbo- and supercharging, diesel power, all-wheel drive and even turbine power. By encouraging traditional car manufacturers to come in with new engine packages and high tech players from aviation to compete with aero kits, IndyCar is looking to rekindle this spirit of innovation.

Our May coverage is centered on a feature story about Mr. 500, A.J. Foyt. While he is not the only 4-time winner of the event (an honor he shares with Al Unser Sr. and Rick Mears), Foyt will be marking the 50th anniversary of his first win at the Brickyard—a remarkable feat when you consider the life expectancy of drivers back in the day.

Finally, our June issue, which comes out in early May, will feature a rich photo history of the 500 using images from the Speedway's archives. We'll also have a fan guide that will be an essential accessory whether you find yourself in the grandstand or nestled in your favorite chair in front of the tube. Our Indy @ 100 tribute promises to be as exciting as the race itself.